Date: Sunday, June 26, 2016
June 22nd was the feast of Sir Thomas More and Bishop John Fisher who suffered imprisonment and execution for opposing King Henry VIII’s divorce of his wife Queen Catherine; his marriage to Anne Boleyn; and his making himself supreme head of the Church in England. June 22nd begins a Fortnight for Freedom with ends on July 4th – our Independence Day. During these fourteen days we are more conscious of the freedom we enjoy to practice our faith. St. Paul writes to the Galatians about freedom. We are free in Christ! Freedom is not license to do as we desire. Paul reminds us that we are free “from” acts of the flesh, not narrowly defined as sexual sins, but all acts that harm our neighbor. He cites: “biting and devouring one another.” We are given freedom “for” acts of the spirit – “to serve one another through love.” Loving our neighbor depends on our love of self; not self absorption or self-centeredness but a healthy love of our true self as God loves us. We have examples of freedom in the Book of Kings and in the Gospel according to St. Luke. Elijah calls Elisha who, after saying goodbye to his family, follows Elijah and accepts the office of prophet. Jesus emphasizes that being a disciples means forsaking violence; not having a place to call home; not making excuses; and not looking back when we have our sight set on the Kingdom of God. It is impossible for one following Jesus to use the word “freedom” without adding the word “responsibility.” There is a cost to freedom and to discipleship.